Rumbling Thunder
by Hunter Redflame
Summary: A storm once ran across the land. Not to ravage but defend. It failed. The Dark prevailed and ended the land. It is now many ages later, and the Storm has begun to stir once more. However, one cloud embraced the dark, and hid itself in rainbows to cover the darkness within. It captured the Storm by chance and failed magic. But the Storm will not be contained...
1. Prologue: The Fall

**Prologue: Fall of an Empire**

The defense of Alicropolis is going poorly. Umbra's forces are nearing the command post, and the Storm Furies are nearly spent. It's probably time to think of abandoning the city. I sigh as I realize that I may very well have to retreat from even this last bastion. My birthplace.

'Sir, you and I both know that Umbra's got the city surrounded and the D-Gates blocked off.' Right. I turn my head to face the silver and red unicorn psykik next to me. I suppose that I'm just trying to cling to some form of hope.

The mare mentally chuckles while remaining outwardly stoic. 'Hah, there isn't much, General.'

Better to have hope than to simply lose it. In any case, it might be best to start getting the civilian population into the crystostasis pods in the heart of the mountain and sealing them in. At the very least, they'll be safe… Suddenly, the good sergeant gasps and her knees start to buckle.

I frown. "What's wrong, Sergeant Song?"

She slowly turns her head to face me, tears beginning to form on her eyes. "S-sir… Galaxia has… G-Galaxia h-h-has…" Oh no…

"…The capitol has fallen, hasn't it?" She nods with tears now more clearly visible. I solemnly close my eyes. Faustus guide those weary souls to your great pasture, where no sorrow or pain can exist.

"Did anyone make it out?" Ah, it would seem that Cloud Streak has come back. I open my eyes again and am greeted with the sight of the entire command post staring at Wind Song. The soldiers in heavily enchanted crystal armor, some with various magicraft melee weaponry and others using magebeam crystal laser rifles. The XOs in Magicraft armor, for the largest part thundrite, with their weapons sheathed on their backs or barrels.

Song sniffs. "H-hold on… Yes; there are about five-thousand pegasi, nine-thousand earth ponies, one-thousand unicorns and… no…" At whatever the no stands for, which is sadly not that hard to guess, tears start slowly down her face.

"What is it?" I say softly.

She sniffs again. "Five alicorns. Th-that's all that survived." Her tears start flowing more quickly. "Galaxus, Hayola, their daughters, and a s-sole surviving Palikaen guard." The Emperor, Empress, their progeny, and a Palikaen. Sad, that two young mares will likely grow up on the run from an inescapable horde. Even more so, that a city that housed over a million ponies and other species been almost totally lost, leaving only thousands. I know enough about my psykik messenger to know that neither of those is the reason for her tears. She, as well as countless other psykiks, could count many alicorns as living ancestors or even adoptive parents. Galaxia always was a center of kindness and equality. Now… No. You know exactly what must be done. Plan Zero must be initialized. Ironic, considering that the Sentients aren't even close to slipping through their seal.

"Then there is only one thing left to do." Eyes all across the CP turn to look at me. "Cloud, gather everyone into the crystostasis chamber and wait there." Streak nods and flies with incredible agility to begin herding civilian and military personnel toward the chamber. I look at Song again. "Song, It hurts, I know it does. But I need you to contact the other Psykiks and tell them that Plan Zero is in effect." Plum nods, tears still evident in her face. Wait, is everypony still… Oh come on, you would've thought they got the hint by now! "Well, are the rest of you waiting to say 'hi' to a Chaosbred? Move! Grab everything you can carry and get to the Stasis chamber!" THAT got them moving.

I waited until the demolitions experts set charges to collapse the CP, during which Wind Song finished relaying the message and galloped out herself. I pride myself on ensuring that nopony gets left behind, which is why I'm the last one out in every circumstance. The demos' light the proverbial match, and we run. What we use as explosives isn't the normal kind, no, these explosives don't actually 'damage' anything. They do, however, create a mass of nigh-unbreakable crystal. Being the Bearer of Magic certainly has its benefits.

We race down the hall. A sharp sound, very much like shattering glass, comes from the ex-CP. They went off… Good. We keep moving, galloping down the now dimmed crystal halls. Sadly, even our magically-powered generators can be disabled with an overload. Though I did not predict Umbra himself choosing to 'grace' us with his presence. I honestly should have known he'd come after me. With the history between us, I suppose the wish that he would go for a grandiose show at Galaxia was just that, a wish.

The entrance to the chambers should be right about… Here! And there it is, a large crystal disk with the standard of Alicropolis on its upturned door. Normally, it would sit there in this lowest public center undisturbed. To say this wasn't normal would be the understatement of the century. Today, it was upturned, bearing an active dovahzul megaward. The demo techs dive in without a second thought. They believe that the single B-Krystal will be enough.

I know well enough otherwise. If he lingers, it won't take him five minutes to break through it. But this one… I take out the prototype G-Krystal. For the untrained eye, it looks like a large blue and purple crystal shard. For a trained enchanter, they see a defensive spell rated to stop a full-blown megaspell barrage and still stay intact. It will stall him far longer than any normal Barrier Krystal.

I activate the G-Krystal and get into the hatch, sealing it behind me using my magic. The crystostasis chamber is a huge cavern that we found underneath Mount Alicrom. Upon finding it, the original settlers quickly used multiple dovahzul spells to greatly increase the structural integrity of the entire mountain. Its now filled to the brim with walkways, stairs, and crystostasis pods. For the most part, the inhabitants of Alicropolis have all piled in. Precious few are outside of them.

"General!" Oh for Faustus' sake, of course Shuullic Diamond Hoof was waiting for me. I look in the direction of the voice to see the emerald-green-coated and diamond-blue-maned crystal alicorn looking at me. "For what little it's worth, I pardon you from failing your duties as defender of Alicropolis and promise not to press charges on you or any of your troops." He says before entering his own pod. Huh. I-

"Didn't see that one comin', eh Flashy?" Now that is a voice I am more than happy to hear. I turn around to see the owner of the somewhat raspy voice. A pink alicorn mare with a ragged-cut rainbow mane and tail. Rainbow Spectra, Bearer of Loyalty and my marefriend.

"Well, he's never liked us in the first place," I place one of my large wings around her, "I assumed he was going to rant on and on about how I should have just let all the beings in my command die needlessly."

Spectra huffs, and swishes her tail. "If he did, I'd 've hit 'im with a kick at Mach one!" While an amusing thought, there's no doubt she could do it. After all, she _was_ the Queen of the Raceway.

"I don't doubt you would've, my beautiful rainbow. I don't doubt it at all." We sat there a few minutes, silently watching the inhabitants of Alicropolis find crystostasis caskets that fit their size and body type. I suppose that I should ask how many made it…

"I whipped the other civvies into gear and got 'em here first thing when that son of a whorse came here. They're all ok, Flash." I feel relief wash over my shoulders. At least the civilians are alright…

"Good… Good…" A muted sound like shattering ice sounds. Spectra will notice, I'm certain.

She looks up at the seal, then at me. "You… You used it…"

I turn my head to the slightly smaller alicorn and nod. "The G-Krystal. Nothing else would keep us safe. That, I'm sure of."

Her face falls, her eyes filled with sadness. "Yeah, I know. Just wish that we didn't have to make it so hard for whoever finds us to actually wake us up, y'know?" She's right, of course. Umbra will win now, corrupt the Harmonic Forest, take over this dimension and subsequent micro-dimensions, and likely launch a campaign to spread his false 'freedom' across the multiverse. …I'm thinking too far ahead and to far into what Rainbow's saying. Nonetheless, it will be hard to carve through crystal rated for megaspells.

I sigh. "I know."

We sit in silence for a few more minutes, and watch as the last of the military personnel step into their pods. Some of them sent us looks that seemed to say, "It's alright, you did your best." It didn't make it hurt any less that I failed them. This is not the first time I have lost a battle. But regardless of what happens… Alicropolis was the final battle for the Equestrian Imperium.

And I am the one who lost it. And the day before Spectra and I were supposed to be legally married as well. I suppose that it will have to wait now…

I rose. "Well, we might as well find an unoccupied casket." She nods and rises as well. We begin walking from the glowing blue crystal walkway, going down into the massive cavern designed to hold the entire city's population in case of emergency. The cavern was almost like a crystalline shifter hive: with crystal walkways, inclines, and normal stairs crisscrossing at nearly every angle and interval. The walls and floor are lined with crystosleep caskets, more commonly known as crystostasis pods. The military used the term because, well, someone somewhere thought it was funny to call them that.

Finally, we find two final pods standing side-by-side. It was well-known in Alicropolis that we were an 'item' so to speak, perhaps they purposely left these two for us? Or perhaps it was just luck. Or Faustus, but what are those odds? "Well Flashy," I turn to face Spectra… And run face first into a kiss! …Not that I mind at all, but my wings did flare slightly. I simply embrace the kiss, and Spectra, for a minute that seemed like an eternity. Sadly, we both have to breath. We break it slowly, and look at each other. "G'night." Spectra then slowly walks out of the feathered embrace and into her own pod/casket.

The casket grows an almost liquid layer of crystal that solidifies and seals her in. The caskets were designed so that one would only need to walk in and it would activate. The crystal flashes, and then Spectra is put into stasis, making it seem as though she is nothing more than a crystal with an alicorn-shaped shadow within. "Goodnight, my most beautiful rainbow."

I slowly turn to my own casket and walk into it. The same fluid crystal then seals me in as I turn around, allowing me a glimpse of myself off its reflective surface. A gold-coated alicorn stallion with an electric-blue mane styled like a lightning bolt, the same as my tail. The stormcloud-gray thundrite armor dulling with the effects of the localized magic-suppression field of the casket. My unnaturally large wings, byproducts of loosing the vast majority of my flight magic, are folded against the sides of the armor, their tips coming almost to my horn even then in terms of height. But perhaps most important are the two objects on my back: the scabbard which houses the sole rainbow hardlight mageblade in existence, and a pack with the Prime Elements, the only things that could possibly resuscitate the Harmonic Forest. The pack is enchanted so that it will go into a pocket dimension of my forging in case it was ever stolen.

I draw a breath and close my eyes. Thus falls an Empire. There is a flash and then all is still…

 **(/\\)**

 **Slowly, Umbra's serpentine eyes and dark bacground on the left and Hunter's cabin and bench with himself and Shadow sitting on it. Shadow looks… Less than enthused.**

 **Hello, everyone. Welcome to what is a slightly-**

 _ **Heavily.**_

 **-Revised version of my first fanfic. I didn't post it here on any profile, or even type it at all. No, it was a pencil and paper fanfiction written in a journal. I would like to take this moment to say that while there will be allusions to my other fanfic,** _ **Hidden Whispers**_ **, that fanfic will not be canonical to this one.**

 **Umbra chuckles, a dark, foreboding sound.** _ **However, I must say that I prefer this version simply for how the first arc will go. Who would have thought that particular ritual for making liquid rainbow would have survived the accidental apocalypse?**_

 **Shadow lets out an annoyed growl and Hunter hangs his head.**

 **At the very least, you didn't give total spoilers. But yes, those reading should be forewarned that a very certain CP Factory bred from a certain song will be playing a major role in the first arc. To put it bluntly, this story will be far darker and bloodier than** _ **Whispers**_ **.** __ **Do not continue reading unless you can handle gore, horror, and daem-**

 _ **DEMONS!**_

… **Rude. In any case, you have been warned. But for now I bid you all farewell!**

 **Both sides fade to white.**

 _Yeah, so here's the deal. Hunter's making and kinda rewriting this thing here so that he feels more of a drive to type. Like mentioned above this thing is going to be dark. It will have tourture. It will have death. And it will. Have. Pasta. …What? No Cupcakes, I swear! Seriously though, the only MLP CP here will be the RF. Cupcakes can go find it's own little slice of Hell. Though one of the future ones will involve slim Smooze, if you get the reference to another well-written fanfic. Anyway, catch 'yall later!_

 _The scene fades to nothing…_


	2. Chapter 1: Awoken

**Chapter 1: Awoken**

(\PoV: Lightning Flash/)

Breathe out… "Warning. This unit has been moved from it's original location." WHAT?!

"H-how?!"

The feminine alert voice for the pod continued, "Scans indicate that the movement was caused by a high-power alicorn with an uncatalogued magical signature."

Alright. Good news, Umbra did not get through the G-Krystal. Bad news… "Where am I and how long have I been out?" I ask the M AI.

"Scans indicate pod is holding altitude at over two-thousand hooves above current sea level just northeast of Mt. Alicrom. Chrono-record error. No data recovered." All in all it could be worse. I'm likely in a pegasus city, startling some of the inhabitants. It's annoying to not know how long has passed, but I can work well enough without it. The fluid should be low enough to open my eyes now…

I do so, and am greeted with the sight of myself somewhat drenched by the slowly-retracting fluid. So the reflection screen is still up. Perhaps the one-way function still works? "AI, activate one-way filter."

"Acknowledged." The crystal In front of my shimmers, and becomes slowly transparent to me. I see what looks to be a… Factory of sorts. Dark cloud-metal has been used throughout it, and many machines are hissing away with steam occasionally spurting out. What's this? Strange tubes dully colored like the colors of a rainbow? Interesting…

Suddenly, a great deal of pegasi wearing… Blood-stained armor of some sort? Oh, and some with lab coats… again blood-streaked. And one appears to be talking into a box on his shoulder. No, not a box… A Radio? How did they manage to get one of those? Did they make and invent their own? Possibly. No telling how long it's been for anyone who survived…

One of the armored ones, a caramel mare with a light gold mane and tail, steps forward and lightly taps the crystosleep casket. She appears to have what looks like a human tazer. Hmm… Looking at the armor it's almost as though she's a ponified human law officer. Though the bloodied gear is disconcerting, perhaps this place is…

At that moment, liquid rainbow fills the strange cylinders in the back. No… That… That ritual… These pegasi…

Have sealed their fates!

"Initiate emergency glassification." My voice says flatly, cold fury pouring through my veins. The pod begins changing its molecular structure to that of oblique stained glass, eliminating many of the now irrelevant protection and stasis spells. There are three known types of rainbow. I use Telekinesis to unsheathe my hardlight blade. Hard rainbow, extremely rare and the strongest material ever to be found. Ineffective for armor due to its pure inflexibility. Soft rainbow, which is the illusion created by shining light through water droplets and coincidentally the shorthoof for magical aura. My horn glows with a great swirling mass of blue and gold.

Finally, there is liquid rainbow. It makes for some of the most vibrant dyes known, and doubled as an ingredient in spicy meals. That was before its origins were discovered. The only way to synthesize liquid rainbow is from blood, the younger the better. Normally, this would not be an issue aside from revoking its use as a substitute for hot sauce… But the factory that produced it turned it into taboo for the Imperium. The Repulse spell finishes charging. We hadn't yet found methods to synthesize blood alone. The factory had imbedded itself in the pegasus city of Aazaal Kriith. The irony was immense, the city called 'Merciful' was the site of the most elaborate mass murder scheme in its age.

I cast the spell.

The shockwave pulses out from my body, sending out a wave of pure force in every direction, causing the glassed pod to shatter. The world seems to pause as both heightened reflexes from countless battles fought, won, and lost, and my own magically augmented senses register the lagging looks of shock on the faces of my adversaries. Primary objective: incapacitate all hostile forces and secure the area. Secondary objective: gather information by use of mindlink.

I moved, knocking the caramel mare out with the hilt of my blade before swiftly delivering a slash to the guard directly behind her. The slash ignores his armor and carves him almost in twain, but I pay it no attention. I charge a Chain Bolt spell and fire it in less than a quarter of a second. The deadly bolt hits a scientist in the center, causing the deadly spell to lead to all of the others. The blue and gold lightning turns those pegasi still standing into nothing more than so many piles of ash and scorched clothing. The only two spared this grisly fate are the one unconscious and the one already dead.

The world returns to normal, the entire engagement lasting not even five seconds. Damnable crystosleep, it shouldn't have lasted any longer than three! But, I digress. I look back at the only two others that were not currently ash. The corpse's blood is already in a large pool beneath it, its internal organs spilling out from the nearly-halved pony. All things considered, still better than if the Flayers had gotten to him. However… I look away from him and to the caramel mare, whose fate mark seems to be that of a lit candle, flickering in some unknown wind.

I grimace. Mindlinking is dangerous, and permanent brain injuries were common back before healing spells grew in leaps and bounds. Not to mention that I don't know the first thing beyond battlefield healing. Nevertheless, it must be done if I am to rescue the youths. I charge the spell, then remove the pegasus mare's helmet and tap my horn gently on her head.

Instantly, images and memories flood my vision. I brush most to the side carefully, slow is smooth and smooth is fast, after all. However, I do notice several important memories,(language is still the same, thank Faustus,) enough to not only get the layout of the facility, but also this mare's history. Her name is Bright Flicker, she was born twenty-two years ago. She got her mark while trapped in an avalanche with others. She only accepted the offer to work at the factory because her boyfriend asked her to join him. It turns out that said boyfriend was security chief until-Oh, apparently until I nearly bisected him. Thankfully, Ms Flicker won't mind that much, considering that recent memory says she hates him. Oh? What's this? She and multiple other guards were planning a coup to overthrow… A prodigy in flight capable of creating an Aura Blast. Vik.

I exit the mare's mind and preform a diagnostic spell. Nothing, good. I cast an Awakening spell. She wakes slowly, and rubs the back of her head with a hoof. "Uhg, what hit me?" I silently cast an invisibility spell. Her eyes open as she begins to get back up to a standing position. She suddenly comprehends the lack of other living ponies in the vicinity. "What the…" She sniffs, and turns to look at the corpse just next to her. "Woah… Hmph, bastard." Then she looks past his corpse at the piles of ash and clothing. "…Well, horseapples. If only I could find whoever did this, then I'd be able to stop that madmare for good, and shut down this pit of Tartarus!" Not much for contract loyalty in this one. Thankfully, her loyalty in other areas is far stronger. Though 'tis sad that one can achieve this level of familiarity with violent death as to be relatively unconcerned with it. Then she turns around, (as my strike had been able to spin her to face the dead first,) and looked at the glassed remains of the crystosleep casket. "Huh. So… Maybe it was the crystal?"

I do believe that is my cue. I decloak while speaking. "More specifically the one inside it, Ms Flicker."

(/\\)

 **...Nothing appears.**

 _ **So. FanFiction is deciding to be non-cooperative in receiving Word documents. Oh well. This is the actual Hunter here. just some quick things of note.**_

 _ **One: the Cliffie. Yeah, I know, I suck and you all hate me. Kindly bear with me for a while, as I'm shortening the chapters in this one with the exception of arc intros. This can be considered the 'Awoken' or 'Rainbow Factory' arc.**_

 _ **Another thing: Lighting Flash's utter OP taketown of those ponies. Does this really require an explanation? He's a frontline general who makes a habit of fighting alongside his men whenever they'll let him, and an alicorn of an ancient empire on top of that. I think this to be a sutiable explanation of the utter ease with which he is able to anihilate.**_

 _ **Third: Lightning's seemingly Naruto-level luck thus far. Let me make this clear: he managed a Nat 20 on this roll. He won't have nearly this level of luck later on, (though he'll wish for it!)**_

 _ **Fourth: The dissapearance of Hunter, Shadow, and Umbra. They may appear again, they may not. I'm still trying to decide on that.**_

 _ **Fifth: OC's and OC races. I, as always am open to any suggested characters or race, provided a basic description is given. I can work with "A male gray dragon that hates other dragons". I cannot work with "Give me a dragon OC". My apoligies, but I like to think that OC submmisions are an extension of the mastermind behind them, and I would hate to not do them due justice to that fact.**_

 _ **Well, that's about it. So without further ado, farewell!**_


	3. Chapter 2: Revolution

Chapter 2: Revolution

(\PoV: Bright Flicker/)

"More specifically the one inside it, Ms Flicker." Who the hay said… That… Oh. My. Freaking. Celestia. An Alicorn, standing just to the side of where the crystal used to be. He's (He!) huge! Even taller than Celestia! He's bright gold with an electric blue mane styled like lightning and piercing ice-blue eyes. He's got armor made out of some type of metal, (though I don't know what kind of metal looks dark gray and black,) as well as a freaking HUGE Rainbow greatsword! I mean, seriously, that thing has to be almost ten hooves lengthwise and about four inches wide! And his wings! Holy Sisters, they've got to have an almost 36 hoof span when they're unfurled! At least! Princess Celestia herself only has an eight-or-so wingspan! And that horn! It almost looks like a spear!

"By the Diarchs…" Well, that's a fine way to make an introduction, dumbflank.

The Alicorn lifts an eyebrow, but soon allows it to fall. Using magic, he wipes his greatsword on the armor of my bastard ex. "I used a spell to glean what I could from your unconscious mind after dispatching the… Others. I have been out of touch, in a way, with the world for a great period of time." Well, what do I say? I mean, it's not like I can just be rude to an alicorn who could kick my sorry plot all over the room, but you don't just… Read ponies' minds! "A massive faux pas on my part, I'm well aware of that. Nonetheless, I did happen to glean that you and select others in this particular pit seem intent on bringing it down and it's leaders to justice." ! "I suppose that assistance wouldn't be unwelcome?" He says with a glint in his eye. Probably because he thinks that he's asking something I can't refuse… Which I can't. Not without being flat-out stupid!

"I'd be dumb if I said no." No time like the present! I switch the radio to the frequency that the more rebellious guards, myself included, use and turn it on. "This is it, everypony! Let's make some noise!" Three… Two… One… A loud rumble sounds above us and the entire facility shakes. Who knew that liquid lightning and Apple-quality fertilizer from the hydroponics lab could be an excellent bomb?

"Well, I suppose that using liquid lightning one could make an effective explosive. Now shall we move to rescue those in need of rescuing?" You read my mind, what do you think?

"Let's move!"

(\PoV: Scootaloo/)

What the hay was- "The Hay was that?!" Oh yeah. Dash. Suddenly, a group of guards turn on their friends, striking and stunning many of them before their friends realize what's happening. What the hay is going on? The entire place is in chaos! Then, there's a very loud crack and…

"Holy Celestia…" Standing there are two ponies, ones another guard. But the other's a freaking alicorn! An alicorn! He's got a huge sword and awesome armor and he's gold and-Cool off! No time like the present!

"Now's our chance! Phase one!" The other rookies and I, including Borealis, (a colt with an off-white coat and wings, and a smooth mane with colors like Princess Celestia's,) and Virgo, (a filly with a red coat with a silver mane and silver tips on the end of her primary feathers,) take off, making a mad dash all around to further confuse the guards. The majority of us fly up, gaining the altitude for a mad rush at the Titanicloud door preventing us from getting out.

Below I hear cries of pain and lightning blasting, but I can't pay attention to them, we're nearly at the diving point. Finally, we reach it, and turn around. The battle below looks like it's going alright. I mean, the guards that look like they're helping us are keeping the other guards pinned down and that alicorn's just blasting away with lightning, keeping even more down. Buck it. "Alright, phase two!" We all dive as one flying hard for the door on the other side of the warehouse-sized killing floor, flying past the shackles and… blood drainy thing, and the… Nope, don't look, just focus on the door.

A mach cone starts to form around us, slowly closing in as the door rockets closer. I squint to stay on target, but otherwise don't react to the cone. That is until…

BOOOOOMMMM!

(\PoV: Lightning Flash/)

The battle is going quite decisively in our favor. It will not be long until we manage to overtake them, though it may be due to my assistance. The field itself is almost like a large storehouse, if it wasn't for the shackles and extraction machine attached to the roof and just above a walkway, as well as the piston, stained red with blood, it would seem a storehouse. Alas, tis not to be, but I digress and continue discharging lightning while nearly simultaneously regaining the energy. I'm not even using magic! Just using my natural, (or unnatural if you believe some,) reserves of electricity. That rainbow-maned ace hasn't made her move yet though, I wonder what she's waiting for… Oh…

I look to the charging mass of young pegasi, turning around from their high climb, likely about to dive. Which they do, rapidly descending toward what is undoubtedly a heavy door meant to keep them in. They are not attempting to… They are. I turn to Flicker. "Those young ones are attempting break down the door!"

She whips her head to me, then upward. "Are they insane?!" Not likely.

"Desperate, more likely." Wait… The lead pegasus is… A mach cone? No… An aura cone!? My eyes widen. If she does that inside the factory… "Everypony, down!" I throw up a blanket shield to defend against the inevitable-

BOOOOOOMMMM!

(/\\)

 **Hello everypony. I'm back, and late, yet again. Apoligies, there was some extremely serious business in RL that caused it. But it has been resolved, so here I am.**

 **Now, I would just like to make this clear: I do not own the concept of the Rainbow Factory. While their name escapes me at the moment, it is theirs so I feel that I must put this disclaimer here as so to not offend the original author.**

 **Borealis and Virgo, however, are my own OC's. Borealis is a quite colt, and was before the Factory anyhow. He's very careful in most everything, meaning that he didn't complete the time requirements for Cloudsdale. Virgo is graceful and cultured, hailing from Canterlot. She is a dancer, with little wingspeed and strength to speak of. Thus, she tried to pull a risky turn to cut on time and crashed, automatically failing.**

 **They will come into play later, so I'd advise remembering them for later.**

 **Another note, hooves are six inches each. Higher and lower measurements retain their original names.**

 **And now, comments:**

 **Bluecatcinema: Thank you. I endeavor to increase in quality with each chapter.**

 **And now, Disclaimer: I do not own any of the subjects above with the sole exceptions of the OC's mentioned in this and previous chapters.**

 **In any case, please review and follow/favorite if you wish to.**

 **Without further ado, farewell!**

 **(HINT/SPOILER)**

 **Pheonix Blast.**


	4. Chapter 3: Rebirth

Chapter 3: Rebirth

(\Third-Person Perspective/)

It had been a normal day in Cloudsdale, bar the failing pegasi being officially exiled from the city and unofficially being processed into liquid rainbow. Most pegasi were going about their business, flying about doing various things from shopping to delivering the weather to where it was supposed to go.

That was before the bell in Cloudsdale struck noon.

The bell tolls once. A massive explosion rocks the weather factory, causing employees to stop what they're doing and look around in worry.

Twice. The electrified cloud cover over the Rainbow Factory disperses, finally being revealed in full to the citizens of Cloudsdale. Some gasp, others mutter, and still others could care less about the darkly colored extension of the weather factory.

Three times. The sound of lightning can be heard in the sections of the weather factory closest to the restricted sector. Many begin to gather near, while others move back in worry of an overload.

Four. Alarms blare in the factory, starting a panicked evacuation.

Five. Several machines malfunction, causing unrefined liquid rainbow to spill onto several nearby employees. When later questioned, the employees state that the liquid smelled and tasted like blood.

Six. The citizens of Cloudsdale begin to worry when smoke starts to pour out from the top of the Rainbow Factory. Said smoke is thick as volcanic ash, and if any had been flying nearby, was filled with massive amounts of static electricity. The city would have smelled of ozone for weeks afterward.

Seven. Cascade failures in multiple lightning generators. The factory begins a rapid ascension to critical mass.

Eight. All parts of the weather factory are evacuated successfully, save the Rainbow Factory. More urgent sirens blare as the lightning generators begin a fatal overload.

Nine. News journalists have begun writing down details of the event. The lightning generators reach critical mass. An overload is imminent. Scootaloo, Borealis, and Virgo begin their climb.

Ten. The city holds is breath nervously, unaware that it is about to be shook to its very foundation. Estimates would later be that this is about twenty seconds before the initial explosion.

The eleventh toll. Scootaloo is at the peak of her dive. Ten seconds to the worst explosion in the history of Equestria.

The final toll. The lightning generators detonate, and a solid wall of violent electric energy tears through the city, destroying everything, including the city and its inhabitants, for four miles in each direction. Simultaneously, Scootaloo's unintentional aura blast detonates, and a massive flaming phoenix appears in the midst of the devastation. It dispels, and a huge wave of fire goes forth. As quickly as it was all destroyed, Cloudsdale and its inhabitants are reborn in the flames.

Yet none of it was quite the same… And there was, in the factory, two who had survived the overload…

(\PoV: Scootaloo/)

Uhg… My head… Open my eyes to see an inky blackness. "Where… Where am I?

'There was a time when all was as this.' What the hay?! 'Darkness, and nothingness. Then, a voice called out in the darkness: "Let there be light."' What the heck is with the voice in my-a very bright light appears from out of nowhere! "AHHH! MY EYES!"

The strange voice chuckles. It sounds almost like thunder. 'Ah yes. My apologies. Let us wait a moment so that your eyes can adjust.' "Wait, who are you?" …Nothing. Damnit! Well, might as well try. It takes a few minutes, but my eyes eventually adjust. Huh, that's weird, the light isn't flickering, or even shimmering in any particular manner. It almost looks like… the sun? 'Good, you have adjusted. And there he is again… Now, where was I?'

'Ah, yes. Then the Voice created many smaller lights, one like the first but smaller and dimmer, the rest as but small dots in the darkness. Thus were the sun, moon, and stars created.' Huh… definitely not what I learned in Ms Cheerilee's class. The 'sun' set. And so ended the first day.

The voice kept talking, and the place kept changing. The oceans and skies came on the second day, the louder and deeper voice calling them. On the third, land was raised on the deep voice's command, the fourth, plants. On the fifth, animals just appeared at the voice's command just like the land, water, skies, plants, and light.

'…And thus ended the fifth day. Now on the sixth day, the Wahliik, the Creator, decided that the creatures would need caretakers. And so he called forth, and created the gryphons, minotaur, hippogryphs, tauren, buffalo, and pony species. However, four others were added to this group. The first, the race known as humans, was crafted by the hands of the Wahliik himself, who breathed life into them from the dust. The others, the small and hardy dwarves, tall and fair elves, and winged humans known as briva, were created by his servants, the Stahdim Kendov or Holy Warriors.' So… Lyra isn't insane? Humans did exist? Huh. 'However, we have already tarried too long, so I must cut this short. Look on the waters.' …Okayyyyy. I look down-Oh. My. Celestia!

It's me, scruffy purple mane and rough orange coat, but my wings are a LOT bigger, and I have a freaking horn. I'm. A freaking. Alicorn! "Whaaa…"

The voice chuckles. 'Yes, I understand that it is quite a shock to you at the moment, but look.' Images of myself and the crusaders swim past, ahh good times, before I went to practice under Rainbow motherbucking Dash. 'Though your life has been short, you have not wasted a moment of it, despite having no parents, despite having failed some test, despite what you've seen. And now… you have done what my civilization had only ever dreamed of. A Phoenix-class spell.' Everything shifts, and suddenly I'm on a hill looking at Cloudsdale. Suddenly, it blows up! On second it's there, the next its just gone! A HUGE phoenix suddenly appears and then a fire just blasts and the phoenix disappears and Cloudsdale comes back, but more flamey and and-"Calm yourself, young one!" The voice in my head!

My head snaps to the left and I see the alicorn from the Factory looking down at me with a slightly amused look. "It would not do to have you hyperventilate on your first day of being an alicorn, after all."

He looks forward, to Cloudsdale. "Come, that which you have made awaits." And with that he flies toward Cloudsdale before stopping and looking back at me expectantly. In shock, I simply follow him toward the city of the clouds…

(/\\)

 **Hello everypony. I am back once more. And late, once more. Or am I early? Perhaps neither?**

 **In any case, thank you for putting up with my quite uneven upload rate. And thank you, Bluecat. I apreciate the kind reveiw, as always. And yes, Scoots is now an alicorn. But not without reason. This aura blast that I have given her is the epitome of restoration magic: the ability to defeat death without the use of dark magic. Something that even the Equestrian Imperium failed to create.**

 **Other than that, there is little else to mention as of yet. Therefore, I bid you all farewell!**

 **SPOILERS**

 **Dash's eyes are mauve. Not red.**


	5. Chapter 4: Of Firebirds and Thunderbirds

**Chapter 4: Of Firebirds and Thunderbirds**

(\PoV: Scootaloo/)

Wow. For having such HUGE wings, this guy just flies so… slow. I mean, hey, might just be that armor he's got but still. "Can't you fly any faster?" I mean, from that hill to Cloudsdale, it would only take me about five minutes going slow. We've been flying for double that and aren't even a quarter of the way!

He looks at me flying at his side loosely. "I'm afraid not, goraan gein, young one." He looks ahead with a… what was that word? Solemn! That's it! Solemn expression. "My ability to do so was… taken from me." Oh… Well, ponyfeathers.

"S-sorry if I hit a sore spot there…"

He sighs. "It is fine. It happened long ago, and you had no prior knowledge of my ailment. There is no need to apologize." He looks back slightly with a sad smile. "Though it is appreciated."

We continue flying for a short while. "I do suppose that you have questions don't you, goraan gein?" Let's go with 'well no duh'.

"Well, yeah! I mean, what happened to Cloudsdale?"

He thinks a moment then tilts his head back to me. "The first blast would most likely be a critical overload from lightning generators," Makes sense, but how... "Which may have been my fault, thinking back." Uh, WHAT!? He shakes his head. "Shouldn't have been so frivolous with throwing lightning about. Nevertheless, the second blast was something I, as stated previously, have never encountered before." …Again, makes sense.

I shake my head. "At least nopony died, right?"

He smiled slightly. "Yes, I suppose that would be a positive part of this scenario."

We flew in silence for a minute. Y'know, I just realized that I have no idea what this guy's name is. "Um…"

He turns his head slightly. "Yes, young one?"

"I don't think that I caught your name through all of the… well… everything."

He gives a small grin. "Ah yes, where are my manners? I am Lightning Flash." Huh. For some reason I thought it'd be something more… Royal-sounding. "While we are on the topic, might I ask your name?"

I grin. "The name's Scootaloo. Nice to meet you." At least, I think that's how that Sweetie Bell would've said it…

He chuckles lightly. "Well met, Scootaloo."

Alright! So, apparently I'm an alicorn now. That's bucking awesome! Dash is a bitch. Not awesome. At all. Liquid rainbow is actually concentrated blood and pegasus magic. So not cool, that its in the buckin' Samareah Desert! Oh yeah and those quote 'failures' who get exiled from Cloudsdale? Yeah, they're the ones gettin' killed for liquid rainbow. Really. Not. Cool.

"Have you no more questions, goraan gein?" Huh? I look up at Lightning to see him looking back with a small amount of… Amusement, I think? OH! Right, question.

"Meh, I'm still kinda shellshocked, y'know?" I frown. "I mean, first off I failed my flight test, then it ends up bein' that Dash, the pony who taught me howta fly in the first place, is a bitch. Who apparently gets off on seeing others die in pain and horror," I shudder a moment, I can't imagine what it was like for that one unlucky colt who was randomly picked. I nearly barfed! "Then, everything starts exploding, and I'm suddenly an alicorn cause why the buck not?" I shake my head. "It's all kinda happenin' a little too fast, ya know?"

Lightning chuckles and shakes his head. "All too well, albeit under far different circumstances."

We keep flyin' for another five minutes. Wait… Didn't he say something about Phoenixes? "Hey," He turns his head to look at me. "Didn't you say something about a Phoenix or something?" He stiffs a moment and his wings quit flapping. Wonder why? "Is… Is everything…"

He shakes his head. "My apologies. Yes, I did," He looks me square in the eye, lookin' pretty serious, "I said that you had created a spell that my civilization had never done before, a theorized Phoenix-class spell." Oh great, he's about to go full Twilight, isn't he? "Now, the main reason that it was theory only was that it's thaumatic cost was simply far too great for anyone to reach without straining their internal aural energies to…" Yep, he's goin' egghead. Crap, now I'll never get my question answered! Oh well, at least I can take a look at the 20% cooler Cloudsdale.

The place doesn't look like too much of it was actually changed, just like the clouds used to make it are different. I mean, the clouds are an ash-gray, with a buncha red and orange spots everywhere that I guess are embers or somethin' like that. Wait… Phoenixes are those cool birds that burn then bring themselves back to life, aren't they? "Scootaloo, was it?" !

"Uhh, yeah?" I look back to him sheepishly. When did I get ahead of him?

He just smiles and shakes his head. "I was about to summarize my impromptu lesson on spell theory, but if you lack any interest…"

Ahhhhh…. "N-no, that's alright. I just realized somethin', is all."

He raises an eyebrow. "And that would be?

Well, here goes nothing… "You said it was a Phoenix-class spell, right?" He nods, and motions for me to continue. "W-well, don't phoenixes *gulp* die, and-and get reborn?"

He sorta looks surprised for a sec, then gives me a... Sympathetic? Yeah, that's it. Sympathetic look. "Yes, they do, making it as though they had never died." …By Luna… That… T-That would mean-"Indeed, before the spell was cast, everything here would have died. With no traces of the city's existence other than gently falling ash." T-that's… "And you saved them, young one." H-huh? A small grin appears on his face. "It is the fate of a phoenix to be born, burn, and be reborn. That, is what you have done. Made all the more special by the fact that you didn't let a single drop of dark energies into yourself to do it." Waitwaitwait, WHAT?!

"Whoa, hold up," He lifts an eyebrow. "You're sayin' that me, a blank-flank just now going into the higher grades back at Ponyville, somehow had enough magic to do all this?!"

He looks pretty surprised that I was a blank-flank, but then he laughs. Why the buck would he have..? "Well, you could've fooled me, young one!" Wait… No. Bucking. Way. I look back at my flank and-Oh Luna I've finally got one! A Cutie Mark! And it's utterly bucking AWESOME! There's a large shield, just like the other's, and on it is a phoenix mid-flight!

Lightning laughs again, "Well then, I suppose that this is quite the special day for you!" WELL NO DUH! I FINALLY HAVE ONE! I HAVE ONE! I HAVE A CUTIE MARK! AND ALL IT TOOK WAS EVERYTHING GOING ABSOLUTELY BUCKING WRONG!… Right… Everything went to Tartarus… And now… Actually… Now what?

"So… What now?" I ask, after the minute or so the words-can-not-describe-how-happy-I-am-right-now feeling of getting my cutie mark passes.

Lightning shakes off a small grin I missed somehow and looks straight to the… Oh, he's looking at the… Actually, the buck is that? I mean, it's big, black with red embers, and it looks like an old maws… Musoli… Mausoleum! That's it! Not to mention, it's attached to the Weather Factory… No. No bucking way. That has to be… "We must go to that which used to be the Rainbow Factory, and ensure that those responsible do not escape that which awaits them at the hooves of your leaders."

(/\\)

 ***Slowly, the divided screens appear. However, instead of the dreaded red and black that was Umbra's visage before, there stands a black and blue Draconic Alicorn, (an alicorn with dragon wings, eyes, muzzle, spines in place of mane, and a dragon's tail,) with a curved horn, (tip colored blue,) and indigo eyes. His Fate Mark is nowhere to be seen, but that may be because his camera is only aimed at his face. Hunter and Shadow, on the other side of the Divide, appear to be their normal selves. Hunter with his rich red and ice blue nobleman's robes and hat, and large oak staff topped with a fire red orb in between twin golden thunderbolts. Shadow with his wild-looking black and white fur, and white eyes that seem to glow from within. The Draconic Alicorn is sitting on his haunches with a calm look about him in the center of a dark, but not quite foreboding background, with no indication of what he is sitting on. Hunter is sitting on a bench with Shadow in his lap.***

 **Hunter: "Greetings, dear reader. My name, if you did not know previously, is Hunter Redflame. If you are new to my fics, then welcome! I do hope you'll stay and continue to read in the future. But to all those who have been with me since the beginning… I am so. So dreadfully sorry. I have left you hanging on not only this, but my other story as well. I cannot excuse this, and please do not say that it is alright, it's not. If you can forgive me, then thank you. Now, I'm certain that regardless of when you found me, you're rather curious as to the Alicorn to the left… "**

 **Unnamed OC: "Greetings, I am Umbra. Not the original, no, but I am the one who you can expect to see from now on. And, as Hunter and I discussed earlier, I will continue from here on out with an important announcement: the fanfiction Hidden Whispers is to be slated for rewriting, to begin at a later date. This is because Hunter feels that he did not do his original story justice, and therefor will be trying to remake it in a way that does it justice… and allows it a sort of parallel to this story. In any case, the sole reason that the rewrite hasn't started is because Hunter thinks that this one can still be salvaged, and wishes to write this one before the other."**

 **Hunter: "Now that this is out of the way, I will say that I am in need of OC's. In particular, OC's for the 'Failure' pegasi, Factory pegasi, and Rebel pegasi. Others are also welcome, but those are preferred at this time. Also note: the pegasi in question will have to have a Dark Souls-esque ember aesthetic IF they were in Cloudsdale at the time. You didn't honestly expect them to be reconstituted exactly the same, did you? Lightning and Scoots don't have it because they're alicorns. They have their own Aspects, (which will come in later.) Now without further ado…"**

 **Umbra/Hunter: "Farwell!"**

 ***The screens fade to black.***

… _You guys still here? Great! So, here's the deal: next time we'll be seeing the new interior of the Mausoleum/Rainbow Factory, and finding out exactly what the lame hint in the previous chapter (how long ago was that posted again?) actually meant. Also, expect the PoV to stay on Scoots for the majority of this fic._

 _Sooooo SEE YA!_

 _*Silence…*_


	6. Chapter 5: RMOY

**Chapter 6: Red, Mauve, Orange, Yellow**

(\PoV: Scootaloo/)

"So… Do we just..?" Lightning and I angled toward what _was_ the Rainbow Factory.

He nods. "We enter and find the other pegasi in your group, and the rebel Guardsponies. With luck, everyone will be unconscious, so that we can do so without interference." Yeah, that's probably a good idea, I don't really wanna go back there seeing that whole… Thing happened just now but… The others are still in there, and I can't just leave Borealis and Virgo there!

"Sounds like a plan."

He nods again. "If you would like, I can teleport us to that landing platform on the lower structure." Now what's he-Oh! The Send-Off platform! Yeah, that'd work! Wait… I thought Twilight said…

"Don't you need to see it more clearly?" He blinks in slight surprise. I guess from me knowing something about high-end magic like Teleportation?

"True, teleportation usually takes a clear visual or vivid mental image. My own brand is simply… Different." Huh?

"Different how?"…I'm going to regret sayin' that, aren't I?

He shakes his head with a chuckle. "I think we can save lectures on advanced spell theory for when you're actually ready for it, meaning much later," Phew… He looks back to the Factory. "For now, let's simply say that mine often results in frizzled manes, tails, and occasionally singed eyebrows." Wait, singed-Suddenly, we're surrounded by electri-ohmyCelestiawe'removingfastowbrighttoobrightTOOBRIGHT!

"We're here, goraan gein."

Really? I slowly open one of my eyes. Then the other. Yeah, we're here. "YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME ABOUT THE LIGHT!" Seriously! You didn't say anything about the way-too-bucking-bright light!

He smiles sheepishly and scratches the back of his head with his hoof. "Apologies, I suppose I should have."

"Darn right!" Now… I take a good look around and check the clouds beneath my hooves. They feel… Strange, like rough sand, and close up I can definitely see embers and ash. Huh, ash clouds. Gonna make Cloudsdale's job as main weather supplier of Equestria hard to do. The Send-Off Platform itself looks pretty normal: A large disc that served as the landing platform for transports with a cross made from clouds that looked like they had more embers in 'em than normal, connected to a large storehouse that led inside the Factory.

As for the storehouse, it used to look like any run-of-the-mill warehouse or earth pony workshop. Now, it's made of light gray clouds with embers in large groups all in a line… Right about where the old electric lights were. I still don't know why we use models that don't look like anything I've seen anywhere else, but I guess that doesn't really matter now: firelight, in a cloud city! It's almost unbelievable! I wonder what else-

 **KRACK-BOOOOOOOOM!**

What the heck was that?!

"The sound barrier breaking," …Oh. I said that aloud. Oops. Wait… The sound… Oh no. "With hope, it is reinforcements from the local government," …There's only one pony who's broken the sound barrier in a thousand years.

"It… It's not help…"

He turned and blinked at me. Then he took on a more serious face. I guess I looked worried. N-not that I was! 'Cause I'm not! I-I just-"Then we must move quickly. Come, and let us get to the Mausoleum!" Alrig-HOLY-He _blasts_ past toward the door into the Factory!

"H-Hey, wait up!" I kick it up and try to at least keep up. He was so slow in the air though! How can he be that quick on land?! We get to the door and inside the main factory. We were moving too fast for me to see any real differences yet except for the ash clouds and firelights, and eventually we found ourselves inside a steadily darkening tunnel that gently rose. I wonder why it's getting darker? Thicker ash, maybe? I dunno. Anyway, after about ten seconds we found ourselves at a huge door made out of… Ash-stained titanicloud? Maybe? I have no-My cutie mark is on it. Right in the center. What. The actual. Buck.

 **CRASH!**

That sounded like it came from inside! Lightning frowns. "It appears that we will not be alone inside the Mausoleum," He turns to look at me. "Are you ready, goraan gein?"

I… "Y… Y-yes. Yes, I am." His eyes soften, and seem to glow for a brief moment, before turning to the door and using his magic, which was sky-blue and gold in color, to lift it up. The first thing I noticed was a large, ember… Spike, with names written on it in ash. The second thing I noticed was that this place was a lot bigger on the inside. Big enough to hold what looks like _everypony in Cloudsdale, unconscious, at once!_ How… Then I noticed the hole in the wall to the left, away from Cloudsdale.

"Ouuuuugh… Not trying THAT again…" … I looked down, and saw _her_. Rainbow. Motherbucking. Dash. I started seeing red…

(\PoV: Rainbow Dash/)

Owwwwww… Hitting solid Titanicloud at Mach 1 hurts… At least nothing seems broken…

"YOU MURDERING BITCH!" What the-

What the-OOOFBITCH!" br...dashI suddenl An orange blur tackles me and starts trying to trample me!

"What the hay?!" What the hay is going on here?! Wh-"AAAAAAAAH!" M-my wing… I look up to s… "S-scoots..?"

She grimaces and practically snarls at me! "Like you get to call me that after all the crap you've done!" She sends a hoof right to my cheek. Ow, probably gonna bruise… But what the hay is she talking about? I just got here from Canterlot! I knew she was there, and then the explosion and-and just-WHAT THE HAY IS GOING ON?!

"Wh-what are you talking about Scoots?! Why did you-"

"Silence, krivaan." …H… Wh-who was t-that? I turn my head to see-…A…Ali… "Goraan gein, get off her."

"A-alic-corn…" Scoots moves, but I kinda don't pay much attention to that. More of the angry male (!) alicorn who's looking down at me. He has a look of cold, detached fury on his face… What the _Tartarus_ is going on here?

His dark gray armor shifts as he lowers his head to further glare with those furrowed, frozen blue eyes and concrete neutral expression… And I've read too many of those new sci-fi books. (Seriously, the level of description in some of those…) "Questions. I will ask. You will answer. Is that understood?"

I nod quickly-not fearfully! J-just quickly! "Where were you approximately fifty-point-two-five minutes ago?"

"I-I was in Canterlot, w-with the rest of my friends." He doesn't relent.

"Do you know of the operational procedures of the Rainbow Factory?"

The Rainbow… But… "Th-that's just an old mare's tale parents tell foals so that they behave!" His expression breaks, and for a moment an eyebrow shoots up. He quickly schools it back… Though Scoots is lookin pretty mad over to the right… No… Nonono that's-I-it can't be! "I-isn't it?"

The alicorn turns his head to Scoots, then back to me. He motions to something behind me. I slowly turn to look at it while getting up… "Oh Celestia…" A Memorial Obelisk!

I… There's so many names… Oh… Oh Celestia… I-I know that some of the old battle sites from way back when have 'em… But… T-this... Th-The Schism Memorial doesn't even have this many!

"The total count of the dead," The alicorn says in a tired voice behind me. "As told by the dead, for remembrance by the living," He walks to my right. His tone becomes somewhat softer. "And it would appear there are many amongst them recorded here…" And then, he starts saying something even quieter in a language I don't even understand. "Nuz orin fin tarim het los malingren fod borii wah fin tarim do dii siifur…" …I guess he might be paying his respects? Maybe?

It stays quiet for a moment as Scoots seems to have stopped being angry and looked at the Memorial with a growing look of sadness… "Y'know, I really oughta thank you Warmbloods."

That sounds like me! I turn to the hole I made and-"CHANGELING!" A pony that looks almost exactly like me is sitting on the rim of the hole, thing is the bug got the details wrong. I have mauve eyes, not blood red ones! I don't wear anything other than the Wonderbolts flightsuit, and she's wearing some sort of thin blue night barding? Yeeaaaaah, I've gotten drunk before, but I don't give a single buck about _that_ horseapples!

The bug chuckles and looks at me, even as Scoots and… Whoever the alicorn is turn to look at it as well… And his eyes widen? "Sosnaak…" He shakes his head then glares at it. "And what is it that you would want, blood-drinker?" Wait. Blood… VAMPONY?!

The vampony grins… Showing off a WHOLE lot more meat-eater teeth than I thought they were supposed to have! "Ah, and one who knows the Oldspeak as well? This has been quite an interesting day!"

"Seriously?!" Scoots shouts. "Now Vamponies are real?!" She shakes her head and throws her forehooves in the air. "Y'know what? Buck it. Too much horseapples to deal with at once! Just… Just why?" …I don't know whether to smack her or join her. Leaning more towards joining ya there, Scoots. The alicorn looks at Scoots with an unreadable expression before turning back to glare at the vampony.

She laughs, sounding a little too close to my own voice. Yeesh, talk about creepy. She then looks back at us with half-lidded eyes. "For getting rid of both that accursed mask _and_ removing my weakness to sunlight and fire? I personally think that last one alone is a thing to be thankful for." Mask? And did she just say what I think she just said?!

The Alicorn's eyes widen. "Niid…" He… Doesn't quite glare this time so much as stare intently. "This mask, what exactly did it do?" And _why_ is he focusing on some mask when a _vampony_ just-so-happens to now be immune to _sunlight?!_

The vampony rolls her eyes. "Pft, what do you think? It was a mind-altering artifact," She puts one of her hooves to her chin. "Hmm… At least, that's what I thought it was. Now? I'd actually think that thing was a Sil-Gro Kaask," She tosses an expectant look at the alicorn. "I expect you know what that is?" What the heck is a 'Seal-Grow Cask'?

Apparently, the Alicorn knew. He sets his face in a very serious expression. "If that is so, then the situation has only grown in complexity."

Alright, y'know what? This is getting old! "Will everypony _please_ stop talking about stuff that Scoots and I have no bucking idea about?!"

Both the alicorn and the vampony turn to look at me, the alicorn with a small grin and the vampony with a put-off expression. "Hmph, didn't you learn to respect your elders?"

The alicorn gives a small chuckle. "Actually, she reminds me greatly of myself in my first two or three centuries."

The vampony blinks in surprise. "Huh," She grins. "Well, you nearly fooled me, Goldie!" …Goldie. Just… Just what is with today? Is it International Buck-Your-Worldview Day? Is that an actual thing? No, bad Dashie! That line of thought leads to the same place as Pinkie Sense! Baaaad idea!

The alicorn chuckles and then smiles at the vampony. "An apt nickname it may be, but perhaps not the most original. Why don't we trade names, so that such things do not get stuck in the heads of younger," He gives a look at me and Scoots, then grins. "Less mature, ponies."

"HEY!/HUH?!" Hey, I'm plenty mature!

The vampony shrugs, "Eh, sure. The name's Narva." Narva… Why does that sound familiar..?

The alicorn nods. "My name is Lightning Flash, a pleasure to meet you." …Great. Wonder if he's related to Lightning Dust?

One of the vampony's ears twitch. "Sorry to cut this conversation short, but I gotta scram. See ya!" Wait, wh-Aaaand just like that, she jumps outa my hole… That doesn't sound right even IN my head!

Not a minute after Narva leaves, Soarin' and Spitfire fly in through the hole. The first thing they notice is the thing any normal pony would… When did Scoots get a Cutie Mark? …And a horn?! And why am I just now noticing this?! And-"ACK!" Oh… Right… Wing… Ow… Why is everything..? Suddenly, I fall over onto my wing. There's a HUGE amount of pain, then black…

(/\\)

 _ **The screen shifts to show Hunter and the newer Umbra, who is now wearing a beat up, KILLME Orange cape around his more draconic frame. Oh, and Shadow is sitting next to Hunter. What else did you expect?**_

 **Hunter: Hello, everyone! We have come back from the dead!**

 **Umbra: And by that, he means he finally got his rear end in gear and got to writing.**

 **Hunter: Well, you try worrying about getting through your senior highschool year while have Advanced Functions and Trigonometry!**

 **Umbra: And yet you have time for your work, choir, reading, YouTube watching, your schoolwork, scribbling in your five journals, drawing… Actually, forget the last bit, it ended up making me look a great deal more original! Not to mention all of your church activities INCLUDING being the lead singer of the worship team!**

 **Hunter: …Well the Church stuff's different!**

 **Umbra: And the rest of it?**

 **Hunter: …**

 **Umbra: I thought so.**

 **Hunter: In any case… We're back. So… Hopefully you all will forgive my slothfulness… Umbra…**

 **Umbra: Yes?**

 **Hunter: When did** _ **Rumbling Thunder**_ **get nearly one-hundred views?**

 **Umbra: Most likely while you were otherwise engaged.**

 **Hunter: …Huh. Well, I guess I ought to make something special to celebrate. Anyhow, without further ado…**

 **Hunter/Umbra: Farewell!**

 _The screen fades to nothing…_


End file.
